What cabinets to have?

[Slippyblade]

So I've got room for four, maybe five cabinets in my cave.  I'm debating what to put in here.  I don't want a frankenpanel machine, but I want to have as much game coverage as possible.  As I see it, these are the machine types.

1) 2 player horizontal, 8 way, 6 button layout (Street Fighter style)
2) 2 player horizontal, 8 way, 6 button layout (Mortal Kombat style)
3) 2 player vertical, 8 way, 3 button
4) 2 player horizontal, 8 way, 4 button
5) 1 player horizontal, 4 way, 2 button
6) 1 player vertical, 4 way, 2 button
7) 1 player, trackball, 6 button (3 each side)
8) 1 player, spinner, Tron stick


I'm thinking #2 can be dispensed with and just remapped into #1.
#5 and #6 can be combined, but I'm not sure if it should be vertical or horizontal.
#8 can obviously cover Tron as well as all spinner games.  Could work as a single player Ikari Warriors as well.
#4 could also be combined into #1 with a couple dead buttons.

I'm also seriously debating a cab with two spinners.  My wife is a serious Warlords fan and I love racing games like Badlands and Super Sprint.

So what are your thoughts, folks?

[Howard_Casto]

I did a modular panel on mine and I can tell ya, most of those "misc" controls never get used.  I really like games that use a spinner and the trackball sometimes gets used for a pc game or two... but other than that....

I can't stress this enough.... most of the trackball games in mame suck hard.  I mean you have missile command and if you are a glutton for punishment marble madness, but that's about it. 

I think a street fighter cab is a must, but I really like fighters.....  You want to do a 7 or 8 button though, not a 6 button.  Neogeo fighters play better with a row of 4 and Mortal Kombat and it's brothers work best with both buttons in the central column mapped to block and that 7th neogeo button mapped to run.  The newer pc fighters (SF IV, MK 2011, ect) really use 8 buttons, so although I hate the way it looks, two rows of 4 probably would be the best overall solution. 

If you aren't going to do a 4 player cab then that should do for 90% of the games. 

I think a vertical cab is really nice to have, but I don't know about two players....  aside from a handful of vertical shooters most games are alternating.  I would suggest getting one of those fancy servo sticks from andy so you can play pacman and 1942 on the same cab.  I don't keep up with the hip new trends, but there might be a stick that'll do ikari warriors as well. 

The tron stick is useless for any game other than tron.  Get yourself a Tron machine instead. 


I think a dedicated racer cab is a must as well.  If you are into badlands and the like a spinner wheel one might be the way to go.  I've got a "tractor supply" wheel setup in driving that is fairly cheap to build, or you could just buy the arcade assemblies outright as they aren't terribly expensive.

If the wife likes Warlords then I suggest getting a Warlords cabinet.  Just give her what she wants, it's simpler sometimes. 

[harveybirdman]

I'd rather have two dedicated cabs that were soley for fighting games (one Neo Geo and one Capcom) than put 7 buttons plus on one cab.

Looks and plays ---smurfing--- terrible.

[Howard_Casto]

Well it might look different, but it plays exactly the same as separate neogeo and Capcom cabinets. 

The 7th button has been a staple around here for years, so you might be in the minority on this one. 

[jennifer]

    I would have to agree with HBM.

[BadMouth]

My dream....

vertical classics cab: a single 4-way joystick that uses a rubber centering grommet, 2 leaf switch buttons

vertical (or rotating) shmup cab: a short throw 8-way joystick (Suzo 500 or Seimitsu LS-56) , 3 convex Japanese style buttons
  One player only, centered.
  Casual multiplayer games could be done on one of the other cabs with less specialized joysticks. 
  (the 4 player cab would probably have a big enough horizontal screen that the vertical shmups would look ok on it)
 
light gun cab: an America's Army cab with a PC running emulators tossed in. 
  I'd use the original Happ guns for the light gun games and add Aim-Traks in assault rifle style housings for the positional gun games.
  Might try to find a way to switch between one of the happ 45s and a shotgun.

Sit-down racing cab:  Don't bother with a stand-up.  It's just not the same.

4 player cab: Hap bat tops and 3 concave buttons all the way around. (not worried about the two Dungeons and Dragons games..a combo could be mapped for the 4th button)
   Some type of automated system to display the function of each button based on game currently playing.
   Beat 'em ups and hack 'n slash games would be on this cab, even if they are only 2 player games.  If you want to get crazy, use Happ rotary sticks for P1 & 2.

2 player Vs fighting: tricked out sanwa JLFs with silent mods.  Standard concave buttons in street fighter layout.  I'd still be tempted to only do 6 buttons per player.
   On current PC fighters like SSFIV, the two extra buttons just post combos of the other buttons so they are redundant. 
   To make it future proof I might add those other two buttons, but they'd be black or grey to differentiate them from the core 6.
   It is nice to have a consistent "tag" button across various games instead of having to remember the combo.

Trackball cab:  I'd be fine with this being incorporated into one of the other cabs.  It would basically just be for World Class Bowling and Golden Tee.
   The control panel artwork would include instructions for both.

Left out:

Spinners:  Not a fan of many spinner games.  Could be added to one of the other cabs
Analog flight stick:  All the jet flying games suck.  I guess it would be ok for Tron and Star Wars.

[harveybirdman]

Thanks for getting us back on topic, here's what If space were no object.

Two Player Vertical Shmup Cab LS-58's, octagonal gates, three buttons per player (but even now I'm sure I could have got by with two)

Namco Style Vertical Cab.  Dominux or Pac Pro centered, one maybe two buttons on either side of stick

MVS style machine horizontal monitor, with a two slot board, maybe have a multi cart in one and Windjammers in the other

Termin8or's  Arkanoid Bartop

A Dynamo Cab with true LS 56 rotaries, Ikari, Caliber 50, Time Soldiers, and maybe Guerilla War on actual hardware.

Horizontal Mame Cab, Capcom buttons Layout, JLFs, Could be expanded to a four player, but most of the great beat em ups I love are 2 player games, or have 2 player versions.  And we all know my bias to four player machines.

[wp34]

vertical classics cab: a single 4-way joystick that uses a rubber centering grommet, 2 leaf switch buttons

This.  After getting my first cabinet done I quickly found there is something visceral about this experience for the classic vertical games.    It seems silly but specifically looking down at a vertical monitor (like in a Galaga or Pac cabinet) is part of the experience for me. My MAME cabinet was missing this feel.

[yotsuya]

vertical classics cab: a single 4-way joystick that uses a rubber centering grommet, 2 leaf switch buttons

This.  After getting my first cabinet done I quickly found there is something visceral about this experience for the classic vertical games.    It seems silly but specifically looking down at a vertical monitor (like in a Galaga or Pac cabinet) is part of the experience for me. My MAME cabinet was missing this feel.

Amen brother! I miss my vertical 1p 4-way classic build, but at least my daughter has it and I kept it in the family.

[BadMouth]

My 4-way classics cab would be made from furniture grade maple plywood with orange t-molding ala Rally X.
I wouldn't want any of the other Rally X artwork, but I think it's a cool color combo that's not used often enough.
I'd probably keep the CP and monitor bezel areas black ala Pacman.

Putting the idea out there for others because it will probably be a couple years before I can work on something other than remodeling the house. 

[harveybirdman]

No doubt, that cab was SICK.  The green of the bezel and CP really set it off too.

[wp34]

vertical classics cab: a single 4-way joystick that uses a rubber centering grommet, 2 leaf switch buttons

This.  After getting my first cabinet done I quickly found there is something visceral about this experience for the classic vertical games.    It seems silly but specifically looking down at a vertical monitor (like in a Galaga or Pac cabinet) is part of the experience for me. My MAME cabinet was missing this feel.

Amen brother! I miss my vertical 1p 4-way classic build, but at least my daughter has it and I kept it in the family.

That's the best way to lose a cabinet.   

[pbj]

One vertical, one horizontal.  Vertical doesn't really need more than 3 buttons per player, horizontal is handled with 6 in a SF2 layout.  Nobody wants to play Neo Geo games anymore, but you handle the buttons like this:

234
156

That's close enough to their 4 button layout.

[markc74]

I agree with PBJ - 2 is enough...

Although a dedicated vector would be cool
...And a driver cab
...Actually make that two. One for Pole position and one for Outrun
...And a trackball cab
...And a paperboy cab. Cos it's the coolest cab in the world
...And a gun cab

Hmmm. Feature creep methinks... I guess it all depends on how much room/cash/time/energy you have. I honestly can't see the point of having more than one fighter cab just because the buttons are in slightly different places but I've never really got that much into 2p fighters either.

My dreamcade would probably have my normal horizontal cab, a 1p vertical cab (3 buttons), an asteroids clone (because the new ones made on here are awesome) and a vpin. Anything more than that and I could rapidly see it being more work than fun.

* I reserve the right to completely change my opinion in this in 6 months or the next time I see an amazing build

[jennifer]

   The work IS the fun,  After its built, not so much so, Your always thinking what you would have done better, or something your next one will have... OEM is the way to go, Large, dedicated and multiple.

[Howard_Casto]

   The work IS the fun,  After its built, not so much so, Your always thinking what you would have done better, or something your next one will have... OEM is the way to go, Large, dedicated and multiple.

There's some wisdom there.  I never play my mame cabs more than when I'm tinkering with them.  Once the work completes they are dust catchers until the next upgrade.

[eds1275]

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one that likes the games! I have one right now, my spinal tap cab. It has 2 players, 7 button layout with trackball and lightguns.

I'm going to build a stand up driver cab in the springtime. That is enough for me.

[BadMouth]

I'm going to build a stand up driver cab in the springtime. That is enough for me.

Nooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

Sit down or GTFO. 

[Howard_Casto]

Agreed.  If it's a space issue might I suggest getting rid of the living room couch, or the least favorite loved one.... because let's face it, a guy has to have his priorities straight. 

[eds1275]

Nooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

Sit down or GTFO. 

MIND YO OWN BUSINESS I'm gonna build a stand up driver and play segway simulators exclusively. I'm gonna call it the BadMouth because of the taste it leaves after playing it.

No really I have no space and really like the Gran Trak 2010 machine. Similar but different.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,133163

[jennifer]

   Standups are fun... I love mine and they take up less floor space.

[artyfarty]

I built my Slimtendo cab with a removable control panel. I initially built the 2 player 6 button panel, expecting to build a 1 player 2 button panel soon. What I've realised is that the P1 and P2 start buttons in the middle of the original panel work really well as button 1 and button 2 for the one player games. You need to do some remapping of the buttons in MAME to make this work properly, but I'm seriously considering not making another panel.

I do have a 40" lcd mounted vertically as my screen, so horizontal and vertical games both look equally fine - this wouldn't be true if I had used a CRT.

And I have U360s with Front Mount Restrictors, so as well as changing the maps automatically, I can manually change the physical restriction of the stick between 4-way and 8-way.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BadMouth]

Nooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

Sit down or GTFO. 

MIND YO OWN BUSINESS I'm gonna build a stand up driver and play segway simulators exclusively. I'm gonna call it the BadMouth because of the taste it leaves after playing it.

No really I have no space and really like the Gran Trak 2010 machine. Similar but different.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,133163

Yeah, Rocky Rocket & Jolly West's stand up cabs are about as nice as they get.
https://arcadecabblog.wordpress.com/

Just make sure you have something worked out where you don't have to use the muscles in your foot to keep the front of it raised up off the gas.
That's what friggin' kills most stand up driving cabs for me.  A few games and I'm done.
 

[Xiaou2]

Long ago,  I bought a Standup Spy Hunter.   I really love the game...   but I have to say,  that the Sitdown cabinet is so much more comfortable and immersive.   

 Id almost always played the Sitdown cabinet in my youth...  but also, a few local collectors have the SD cab, and Ive been fortunate enough to get to refresh my memory, fairly recently.


 Without the need to stand and balance... you kind of get a bit more finite pedal control.  You also are a bit more relaxed... which helps in overall performance.

 Id thought about modding it into a sit-down..   or even better... adding actual motor motion to the cab.

 Sadly, Ive ran on hard times...  so its being stored until it probably gets sold, off  as-is.   


 All that said,  the Gran Trac cab is very well done for what it is.

(Id be the said guy without a couch... or place the couch or bed, on top of the cabinet...etc        )

[eds1275]

It's happening whether you people approve or not It wasn't a discussion, it was an announcement.

[yotsuya]